Jack Ma, founder and chairman of online marketplace Alibaba, has sparked criticism after advising his newlywed employees to have sex six times in six days.

Ma, also China's richest man, was speaking at his company's mass wedding which takes place every year on 'Ali Day' on May 10 at the company's headquarters in Hangzhou, east China.

'At work, we emphasize the spirit of 996. In life, we should follow 669,' Ma said. His remarks were a wordplay on the firm's controversial 996 work schedule, which expects staff to submit to 12-hour shifts between 9am and 9pm during a six-day week.

'What is 669? Six days, six times, with duration being the key,' Ma said to the 102 couples dressed in wedding dresses and suits at the ceremony. In Chinese, the word 'nine' is a homophone with the word for 'long'.

Ma, also China's richest man, was speaking at his company's mass wedding which takes place every year on 'Ali Day' on May 10 at the company's headquarters in Hangzhou, east China

'At work, we emphasize the spirit of 996. In life, we should follow 669,' Ma said. His remarks were a wordplay on the firm's controversial 996 work schedule, which expects staff to submit to 12-hour shifts between 9am and 9pm during a six-day week

Share this article

The quote was posted to Alibaba's official page on Weibo with a winking emoji, which drew widespread criticism from net users.

'Making a lewd joke in public and notoriously promoting it - are you being responsible to minors? Thumbs down this time,' one highly rated comment read.

'This is just revolting,' another comment said.

The 669 quote was posted to Alibaba's official page on Weibo with a winking emoji, which drew widespread criticism from net users

'Is this funny? Not one bit,' one person said.

'Who on earth would have the energy to 669 at home after 996 during work?' one user said.

As the officiant at the ceremony, the 54-year-old founder also urged the new couples to procreate, calling children a better investment that property.

'The first KPI of marriage is to have results. There must be products. What is the product? Have children,' Ma said.

'Marriage is not for the purpose of accumulating wealth, not for buying a house, not for buying a car, but for having a child together,' he added.

'Marriage is not for the purpose of accumulating wealth, not for buying a house, not for buying a car, but for having a child together,' Ma said, urging his employees to procreate

Ma's message comes amid a dwindling birth rate in China and an increasing pressure on the country's slowing economy. The number of babies born in 2018 fell by two million to 15 million

His message comes amid a dwindling birth rate in China and an increasing pressure on the country's slowing economy.

The number of babies born in 2018 fell by two million to 15.23 million - marking the lowest birth rate since 1961, despite Beijing relaxing its one-child policy in 2016.

However, many couples have opted not to have babies due to concerns including rising housing prices and access to high-quality education.

In a statement to MailOnline, an Alibaba spokesperson said that the group wedding ceremony is one of the many traditions on Ali day and is a celebration to show appreciation for employees and their families.

'This year, Jack offered lighthearted life and marital advice to 102 newlywed couples, saying the key to a successful marriage is to forget the negatives and embrace the positives of each other and that the value of love, unlike coding, can't be measured or calculated,' it added.

'At work, we emphasize the spirit of 996. In life, we should follow 669,' Ma said. His remarks were a wordplay on the firm's controversial 996 work schedule

Ma, a former English teacher who co-founded Alibaba in 1999 and has become China's richest man, said he and early employees regularly worked long hours

Ma, a former English teacher who co-founded Alibaba in 1999 and has become China's richest man, said he and early employees regularly worked long hours.

Defending the Chinese work practice of 996 last month, Ma called the long hours a 'huge blessing'.

'Many companies and many people don't have the opportunity to work 996. If you don't work 996 when you are young, when can you ever work 996?',' he said in remarks posted on the company's social media account.

'Let me ask everyone, if you don't put out more time and energy than others, how can you achieve the success you want?' he questioned. China's Labor Law stipulates that average work hours cannot exceed 40 hours a week.

Who is Jack Ma? The richest Chinese person on the planet

Founder and Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma is seen at the 'Ma Yun Rural Teachers and Headmasters Prize' on January 13th, 2019 in Sanya, China

Jack Ma was a cash-strapped Chinese entrepreneur and former English teacher when he convinced friends to give him $60,000 (£45,000) to start a Chinese e-commerce firm called Alibaba in 1999.

Two decades later, Alibaba is an internet juggernaut and Ma is among the world's richest men.

Alibaba Group includes Tmall.com for business-to-consumer transactions and Taobao, China's most popular online consumer marketplace with hundreds of millions of products and services listed.

The company has now become a player in online payments and films, and it has been pouring investment into an array of ventures, including bricks-and-mortar retail, cloud computing, meal delivery and advertising.

It owns a stake in China's hugely popular Twitter-like Weibo platform and in 2015 it bought the South China Morning Post newspaper.

Ma, whose Chinese name is Ma Yun (马云), has often described himself as something on an accidental entrepreneur, giving up his university teaching for the hustle of trade after discovering the internet.

Seeing an opportunity for small businesses to buy and sell their goods online, he started Alibaba, initially running the company out of his apartment in the eastern city of Hangzhou, where the company's headquarters remains.

He has inspired strong devotion among his employees and users, drawing comparisons with late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs - although he practices a more open management style.

He is one of the most colourful of China's growing cop of billionaires, performing a Michael Jackson-inspired dance routine at the company's 18th anniversary celebration last year, and starring in his own kung fu short film.

Last September, the tycoon announced his plan for a gradual retirement in 2019 to devote his time to philanthropy focused on education.

Advertisement

Share or comment on this article:

Jack Ma urges Alibaba employees and partners to 'have sex marathons every day' at group wedding